From the Deck to the Page #13
Decks: Mindful Souls ‘Affirmation Card Deck’ and ‘Stress Relief & Selfcare Cards’
The Monday before Thanksgiving always carries its own flavor of anticipation. A little excitement. A little pressure. A swirl of lists, emotions, expectations, and the quiet hope that this year might feel a bit more grounded than the last.
This week’s card pulls felt perfectly timed, like someone placing a calming hand on your shoulder.
Card #1 pulled from the Mindful Souls “Affirmation Card Deck”:
28 – Cultivate an Empathetic Heart
Affirmation: I understand and connect with how others feel, bringing compassion and kindness into all my interactions.
Today’s Challenge: Listen to someone’s story or perspective without judging.
Card #2 pulled from the Stress Relief and Selfcare Deck:
The Big Smile
Objective: Tuning into positive energy
Card Tips:
- Relax your mind and body and bring a big smile to your face.
- Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale.
- Feel the energy of gratitude flowing through you.
- Notice how different you feel with a big smile.
The cards offered exactly what this week tends to ask of us: a soft heart and a steadier breath.
Thanksgiving comes with its own choreography, almost like a dance the entire country attempts at the same time. People move in and out of emotional space. Memories rise like sparks from a fire. Personalities blend or clash. Some attempt grace, others attempt control, and still others attempt perfect timing — hoping the turkey, the mood, and the conversations will all align. And underneath all of that sits the simple, universal truth that everyone at the table is carrying something unseen.
There is often such a contrast during this holiday: gratitude mixed with grief, connection woven with exhaustion, joy brushing against unresolved stories we haven’t read aloud. Some people arrive already tired. Some arrive excited. Some arrive trying to hide the fact that the season amplifies the ache of someone no longer here. Some arrive hoping for reconnection. Some arrive hoping simply to get through it.
When we remember this invisible emotional mosaic, something softens in us. An empathetic heart doesn’t mean absorbing what others feel or bending ourselves into shapes that go against our own peace. It means remembering that there is always more occurring beneath the surface than anyone ever lets on. And when we pause long enough to listen without judgment — even for a few seconds — we change the temperature in the room. We create a small pocket of ease, a moment where tension doesn’t have to swell and take over.
Which brings us to the second card: The Big Smile. A deceptively powerful reset. A smile, even a small one, communicates safety to your nervous system. It signals that the moment is survivable. That not everything requires vigilance. That you can settle for just a breath.
A smile in this context isn’t performance; it’s energetic. It melts the edges. It reminds the body that gratitude isn’t something you must force out of yourself — it’s something that naturally trickles in when your mind unclenches and your chest softens.
This is why these two cards work so beautifully together: one opens the heart outward, the other opens the heart inward. One asks you to see others clearly. The other asks you to see yourself with gentleness. Together, they create a balanced emotional field from which you can move through the week with more steadiness.
So as you step into Thanksgiving week, a few gentle offerings:
Lead with your heart before you lead with your to-do list.
Often, the list isn’t the problem — the tension behind it is. Let compassion be your starting place.
Take the one-breath reset whenever you need it.
One inhale, one exhale, one drop back into presence.
Let a smile soften the edges of the day.
Not the “be polite” kind. The “my body deserves a moment of warmth” kind.
Listen to understand, not to solve.
People bloom when they feel heard.
Protect your peace with boundaries that are both kind and clear.
Your energy is part of the gathering too.
Let gratitude be something you feel, not something you perform.
It’s okay if it comes in whispers instead of declarations.
The holiday doesn’t need perfection. It needs presence — the kind that comes from compassion on the outside and a settled nervous system on the inside.
May this week land softly for you. May your heart stay open, your smile stay real, and your peace remain yours.
Theresa
Flexible Being
Empowering Your Journey to Healing, Clarity, and Self-Discovery.
I thank you for being here. If you enjoyed this post, there’s plenty more where that came from, everything from soulful healing tips to playful prompts and real conversations about life.
Find me and connect today. I want to learn about your story:
Email: theresa@flexiblebeing.com
Website: www.flexiblebeing.com
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@theresamartinezshapiro
@flexiblebeing
Theresa Martinez-Shapiro
Hello! I am Theresa Martinez-Shapiro; Wife to Robert. Founder of Flexible Being. A Master Reiki Therapist, Certified Oracle Guide, Spiritual Mentor/Guide, Intuitive Empath, Coach, and Educator. I am a fur mom to 3 cats and 1 dog – Sonny, Patches, Ryelee, and Winnie. We currently live and practice in Stockton, California. We operate three businesses – Shapiro Holistic Health and Chiropractic, Fusion Health APC, and Synergy Health MSO, where we seek to improve and change the lives of our patients and those we have the privilege of crossing paths with. My healing and mentoring journey began around 5 years old when I discovered that I was put on this planet to help others. I knew I was different, unique, and gifted. I did not see the world the same way everyone else did, and recognized I was meant to do so much more. I began to research, spending a lot of time reading & asking a lot of questions to anyone that wanted to share stories about their life experiences. I am a dreamer and had a unique relationship with the dream world. My very real, vivid & lucid dreams began turning into out-of-body experiences and unexplained occurrences. I began doing my own dream interpretations to look for patterns & a new way of deciphering life. Family members were part of many different religions, so I was educated in Catholicism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, and Native American culture & beliefs. Along the way, I took up multiple mentors that cultivated my growth and expansion of my gifts, allowing me to focus on my potential and purpose. As an adult, coworkers were unloading their life stories, internal secrets, and things that had not been shared or even spoken out loud. I began to share those experiences with my aunt & Reiki Master/Teacher, Carmen. In 2012, Carmen told me, “I think you are ready to walk the path I always knew you were meant to walk”. That saying began my obsessive journey into Reiki, Spirituality, Psychology, Intuition and Psychic gifts, Meditation and Mindfulness, Past Lives, Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Mysteries of the Universe, Moon and Sun cycles, Astrology, Numerology, Oracle Cards, Shamanism, & so much more. My journey has helped me to assist patients, clients, families, and friends discover who they have been, who they are, and who they want to become. I am expanding my reach and educating others by authoring Musings of a Flexible Being, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you. Thank you! Theresa Martinez-Shapiro Flexible Being Website: www.flexiblebeing.com Socials: Facebook: @flexiblebeingonline Instagram:@theresamartinezshapiro Instagram: @flexiblebeing
